Eternal Rest….
He then took up a collection among all his soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas, which he sent to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory sacrifice. In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way, inasmuch as he had the resurrection in mind;for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. – 2 Maccabees 12:43-46
This Friday, November 22, marks the 8th anniversary of the death of a good friend of mine, Rick Toracinta. Would you, in your charity, offer a prayer for the repose of his soul?
Graham Cookies
Wow, are these good!
Just over a year ago, we started grinding wheat berries into flour at home. After a year of cookie failures or resorting to using store flour, for my cookies, I finally found a recipe I love. I’ve adapted it from the recipe for Graham Crackers from Food Doodles. This recipe is also dairy free and egg free.
Fresh Milled Flour Graham Cookies Â
- 2 cups freshly milled hard white flour *
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 C coconut oil **
- 1/4 C honey
- 2 tbsp blackstrap molasses
- 1/4 C brown sugar (I use sucanat)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp milk(I’ve used water in place of milk, no problems)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees then line two baking pans with parchment or a liner. (I’ve actually gotten these onto one cookie sheet, as they don’t spread much.)
In your main mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients. Next melt the honey and the coconut oil together, then add the molasses, vanilla, and milk (or water.) Stir to combine, then add to the dry mixture, using a fork or spoon to combine. It takes about two minutes for it to go from a crumbly mess to something cohesive, so be sure to stir well. If it seems too dry, add a bit more water.
Using a teaspoon (or a small cookie scoop) drop on to the prepared cookie sheets for, then press down with your fingers, or the bottom of a glass. I sometimes sprinkle with cinnamon and sucanat.
This recipe usually makes two dozen, sometimes more or less, depending on size of your scoop or snitching by little fingers.
*I get my wheat berries from the local Bread Becker co-op and grind them at home. The main store is in Atlanta and you can go and get freshly milled wheat. (and ask a zillion questions about freshly milled wheat vs all purpose flour vs whole wheat flour from the grocery store.)
**I get my coconut oil from Tropical Traditions, by the five gallon bucket (when they have free shipping.)
Blessed John Paul II
If I May Be So Bold…
and tell you to do something, that would be to stop what you are doing and go to cdbaby.com and buy the Stella Splendens CD by the Schola Sancta Caecilia! It is absolutely beautiful, worth every penny you will spend (which really aren’t many), and will become the music you reach for at home, in the car, or on the bus. Â Click on the link for some samples.
It’s Been Nine Years!
I’d marry him all over again.
All the Kids
This kid turned three two weeks ago. What? How did that happen? Here he’s posing for  a picture we sent to Joshua while he was in Dallas this past week. He’s quite the ham, as you can tell. He loves to build Legos and color coordinates his towers. He is also very helpful around the house as well and eats like he’s never been fed before. He also likes to pray and thinks that every time we sit down to eat that it is his turn to lead. He has a little litany that he does as well, that goes on for about a minute or so. How could our Blessed Mother not smile with joy at the words “St. Mama Mary, pray for us!”?
She will be six months on Sunday! SIX MONTHS! She’s been pulling herself up on a few things, which blows me away. She chases the big kids around the house as well. She loves the attention she gets from the big kids and gets kinda sad if there is no one around to notice her. She likes to stick out her tongue but getting a picture has proven difficult, but I finally got one.
Margaret is my helper! In this picture, she was sorting clean laundry for me and folded a good bit of it. She just started second grade and has impressed me with her diligence in her school work. She also likes to draw and is turning into quite the little artist. She’s part of a Little Flower group and loves all things St. Therese. She also loves St. Michael and has proclaimed him her new favorite saint.
Oh, Karol, the first born. Some days I’m amazed I don’t have a head full of grey hair because of this boy, but he is such a gentle soul. He started third grade this year and is learning that schoolwork gets harder as you go along. Some days we work for 5-6 hours on his subjects, and most of the time, he’s not a fan of that, but he’s figuring out that working hard will get him his half hour of video game time in the afternoon. He is also the chicken man in the house. He takes them out each day, watches them while they peck around the yard, then collects eggs.
And this is the little girl my mother wished upon me when I was a little girl. Â She’s me in just about every way, temper and all. Â She’s a loving little one though and love to give hugs and kisses. She always asks to hug people as we leave their house or they leave our house, it’s quite charming. She’s getting to the point where she doesn’t hide when it is time for chores and actually offers to help me out. She love to color and play with her little sister. Â Oh, and she is learning to read. We’ve (well Joshua) has been working with her for a few months now, but this week she just took off on her own and has been sounding out and reading words.
No, school doesn’t look like this everyday, but hey, if Benedict wants to sit and color, that makes me happy. If he’s not coloring, he’s usually running through the house like a madman or pretending to be a very loud superhero. This year, when I ordered school supplies, I made sure to get everyone their own pencil box and told them they got two pencils and it will cost a quarter to replace them if lost, haven’t lost a pencil yet.
We are also doing our third year of Kolbe and still really like it. In addition to the lesson plans they send me, I sit down each day and write out what I expect the big kids to get done, so a daily lesson plan. It helps a lot, as I am not always able to sit at the table with them, and they are able to move on to the next subject. Â When done, they just check off the box and move on. Then I go back later and correct the work, make notes, then give feedback. It works out pretty well, I think.
Seventy One Years
September 5, 1942, the day my mother’s parents were united in Holy Matrimony. They are no longer with us, my grandpa dying first in October of 1990 and my grandma passing away in January 1995, however they both impacted my life in ways that I didn’t fully know at the time and that in many ways I still don’t know.
I am certain because of these two wonderful examples, I am Catholic today. They both were faithful Catholics until their dying day. I remember going to Mass with them and my grandpa using his thumb to help me follow along with the Creed. It is a very clear memory, one that I think of many times while praying the Creed at Mass. He took two school aged girls fishing with him many times and did not complain when their giggling or talking scared the fish away. He was a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus and boy did he look handsome in his regalia.
My grandmother was such a peaceful soul, confident in the Will of God. Oh, how she angered my teenage self when she would say, “There are no guarantees,” or something along those lines, that required me to accept there was someone else in control higher than myself. I remember one time she told me she drove from Detroit, Michigan to Rochester, New York and back without turning on the radio once. Again, my teenage self was horrified at all the silence, but now I smile when I am in the car and keep the radio off, now I understand the meaning of silence. Every Tuesday she would go to church in the morning for an hour. If I recall, it as 10 to 11 am. I now know she went to adoration, but back then, I thought she was just going to make sure no one broke into the church.
Hardly a day goes by that I don’t think about them. In all honesty, I have tried to model my home and family following their example. Their quiet devotion and love of our faith helped me to stay connected to the Church even when I had strayed. I couldn’t think of them without thinking of God and heaven. Â I’m pretty sure that it was through their intercession that I found my way back.
Last night, in honor of their 71st wedding anniversary, I posted a wedding picture of my grandparents on Facebook. The comments I received on it from a few cousins and my aunt, made me smile and made me realize what an impact they had on the lives of everyone they met. One cousin said that a day doesn’t go by that he doesn’t think of them, and that made me smile. My aunt who married my youngest uncle never had the chance to meet my grandfather, but was blessed to know my grandmother shared some memories of her. Another cousin commented that they’d make the greatest great-grand parents…and that is true. I’m sure at 92, Grandma would be in the kitchen mixing up chocolate chip cookies with the help of her great grand children. If Grandpa were still here, he’d be sitting in the garage, listening to the Tigers or Lions game on the old radio, sitting on a lawn chair, drinking a beer. Â And they’d both be walking to Mass every Sunday like that had for many years.
The Cuteness!!
Could there be any cuter of a baby girl? (Okay, I’m sure there is, but really, really, this one tops the list!)
She’s crawling all over, sitting up on her own, and today discovered that she could suck on her own foot. She attacks the Lego towers, eats paper on the floor, likes to have tons of attention, and knows what to do when a camera is put in her face.
*Note, clicking on this image will give you a huge, screen filling image of Baby S, just so you know.